Since I was selected I have been delighted with the positive feedback I’ve had since the primary. We’ve had applications for membership, applications to establish new branches and applications from individuals who wish to fight in the local elections in May. I was interested to read Dee Kaur’s comments regarding the difficulty of breaking into the Sikh vote. I am optimistic that in terms of my family values, and the fact that I am a trustee of a Sikh Temple will help Conservatives connect with all voters in Wolverhampton South West. Last night I was with Carl Husted, our candidate for this Mays Council Election in Park ward. We met a Sikh family on Newbridge Avenue who’ve traditionally voted Labour but have now pledged to vote Conservative and have joined the association.
On a broader Ideological point I think that David Cameron highlighting the importance of positive role models for children is one that will again appeal to all communities. Yesterday he visited Wythenshawe to meet members from the community and find out more about a local project which provides positive male role models for young adults. He said “Of course we need tough penalties for carrying guns. But that’s not enough. We need to get to the roots of crime – and that means families and communities.One of the most important things for our society is that kids grow up with positive role models”.
I also welcome his suggestion that we need to work harder to help prisoners keep in touch with their families while they are inside. Contact with families significantly reduces a prisoner’s chance of re-offending when he or she gets out.
“Instead of Labour’s top-down approach which sees the criminal law as the only means of cutting crime, Conservatives believe in social responsibility – a bottom-up approach which cuts crime by building stronger families and communities.”
On Friday night I was selected to be the Conservative Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Wolverhampton South West.
It has been a whirlwind 48 hours since I was selected and this is my first oppurtunity to update my page, I hope to be able to update on here at least twice a week between now and the next General Election.
I would like to use my first post to say how grateful I am to Eddie and Giles for the time that we spent working on this primary – I am absolutely certain that all 3 of us will at some time in the future meet up in the House of Commons as Members of Parliament!
I would also like to thank the 300+ people who attended the open primary at Molineux on Friday night – this has demonstrated that people really do care about the selection processes that political parties employ.
Since my selection I have been working to help get the message out to people that Wolverhampton Conservatives are ready to represent the people of Wolverhampton both at Council level and in Parliament, I am hopeful of recruiting somewhere in the region of 50 new party members as a direct result of the open primary we held last Friday and I will post updates on my progress.
Below is my final video diary. I have recorded a message for everybody who will be attending the open primary tonight (Friday 16th February).
I would like to say how much I have enjoyed the last 10 days, the campaigning that myself and the other candidates have been doing is reminiscant of the Conservative Party leadership contest – fair, open and dignified.
Thank you for visiting my webpage, and I hope to see you tonight at The Molineux.
After lunch I popped into the Stars News shop on Tettenhall high street. Lynda and Bridget spoke to me about their concerns over restrictions on parking in the surrounding roads.
After visiting the polishing firm yesterday and talking to them about their concerns over crime, I decided to be do a follow up visit to Sgt Mark Evans and spoke to officer Nuran about his experiences of community policing
Believe it or not, this was the first chance I had to look at yesterday’s newspaper and the article regarding the primary candidates
I had a meeting this morning with Aidan Rogers, Erica Baker and Kevin Goodall of Allied Irish Bank at their Wolverhampton business centre. At the business centre they have witnessed the decline of traditional heavy manufacturing industries throughout the black country. Aidan in particular expressed his concern over the delay in the development of the Retail Core Expansion in the heart of Wolverhampton which has been plagued by delays under Labour’s stewardship . Having achieved city status, Aidan felt that it had been missed opportunity not to push on with the retail core expansion which would have cemented Wolverhampton’s reputation and status as a city.
I decided to visit the Civic Centre and see the development plans for myself
The Retail core expansion area is a scheme which would involve the redevelopment of a site comprising 3.2 hectares (8.0 acres) on the southern edge of the city centre, bounded by Bell Street, Cleveland Street, Snow Hill, Temple Street, Victoria Street and Worcester Street. It is anticipated that the development will provide approximately 1,100,000 square feet (98,690 sq metres) of new retail, leisure and associated floor space, including:
a new department store;
space for cafes, bars and restaurants;
a new cinema;
approximately 140 apartments;
an 800 space underground car park
The City Council has issued the cumpulsory purchase orders to assemble the site for the £265 million regeneration scheme, to be known as Summer Row. Originally construction was scheduled to start in July 2006, but this was moved forward towards the end of 2007. I could appreciate Aidan’s frustration.
In this video, I have met a local resident who lives just off Dunstall Road, on Rugby Street, and WANTS to see an active Conservative Party in his area.
In my second video, I am at Midland Polishing & Plating, a local firm that employs over 200 people, talking to Steve about his experiences and concerns about local crime.
In my final video, I am at Tettenhall police station, having spoken to Sgt Mark Evans & Sgt Nick Walton about crime and the fear of crime in Wolverhampton, as well as the needs of our police service.
I visited the eye hospital this morning, and speaking to the staff, most of whom will have vacated the building by the beginning of next month. In a sense the whole issue of the eye hospital encapsulates the history of public sector funding for the last decade. The labour government came in 1997 on a mandate of increased spending on hospitals and schools, which was attractive to many people, and if we’re honest was very much the public mood at the time.
But what we’ve witnessed is Conservatives ideas and proposals being scrapped initially as the government wanted to make its own mark, discovering that their own initiatives didin’t work and we now see a labour government going back to initial Conservative proposals. As I mentioned in a previous blog, it’s important for our elected representatives to remember that they are the custodians of our money and that we expect them to spend it as wisely as they would the money in their own pockets.
Everybody wants to see thriving schools and a thriving NHS, but equally we all want to make sure that the funds get through to front line services and are not burned up in administrative expenses. As a person who has been involved in business for most of my life, I think it’s important that all politicians ask the simple questions:
1. Does this body do what it’s supposed to do?
2. Does it provide value for money ?
and most importantly of all, if it’s not broke don’t try and fix it! Pretty simple stuff, you’d think, but even common sense seems to be at a premium with those in the current government.
I’ve spent today visiting the magistrate’s court in Wolverhampton. I’ve been speaking to Jan Fellows who is the senior magistrate in Wolverhampton and Chairman of the bench. She kindly invited me to the court, and during the day I’ve sat on the following cases:
1. Speeding offences
2. Dangerous Driving
3. Robbery
4. Shop lifting
5. Domestic violence
6. Assualts on police officers
7. Drunken and disorderly behaviour
8. Various motoring offences
It was a good insight into how the court operates and the procedures in respect of sentencing. Undoubtedly crime is at the forefront of almost all Wulfrunian’s minds. To really a get a handle on what’s happening at a street level in Wolverhampton I will be following up the visit today with meetings with police officers next week.
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